This invention relates generally to object weighing devices and in particular, to a weighing device for determining weight imbalance in a bowling ball.
Bowling not only is a favorite pastime, but is also a competitive professional sport having numerous tournaments nationwide. In order to assure that the individual competitors do not gain an unjust advantage over one another, certain rules have been promulgated relating to the balance of the weight of bowling balls used in such tournaments.
By way of information, a bowling ball is defined as having six different halves or sides, with the sides being those opposed to the three orthogonal planes intersecting at a geometric center of the ball. The orientation of the planes is such that a first plane bisects the ball into a top and bottom half with the top half being that portion of the bowling ball which includes the finger and thumb holes. A second plane defines two sides of the ball, the left and right, with the second plane extending through the geometric center of the ball, the thumb hole and a point midway between the finger holes of the bowling ball. The third orthogonal plane would be perpendicular to both of the prior planes and positioned so as to cut the bowling ball surface intermediately between the thumb and the finger holes defining a finger hole side and a thumb hole side thereof.
As mentioned, rules have been promulgated to limit the imbalance between sides of the bowling ball specifically the difference in weight between the top and bottom halves, right and left side, and finger side and thumb side.
At a bowling tournament each bowling ball must be weighed to determine whether it conforms to the rules. Prior art examples of such weighing devices have included an arm resting near a central portion thereof on a fulcrum and having at one end thereof a cradle in which to receive a bowling ball and at the other end thereof a combination of movable weights and scales. When a bowling ball is weighed by such a device, six different weights must be taken with the two weights that measure related sides of the bowling ball being compared to determine whether or not the bowling ball conforms to the stated rules. Such scales are cumbersome to operate which, along with the quantity of weight measurements required, mandates that a considerable amount of time be spent by tournament officials in weighing all the bowling balls to be used in the tournament.
Further, in the bowling industry, it is desirable for a seller of bowling balls to be able to tailor the weight imbalance of the bowling ball between the opposed sides according to an individual's desires while assuring that the weight imbalance is still within the accepted limits. This is desirable because, by altering the weight balance between two opposing sides of the bowling ball, the path of the bowling ball as it moves down a bowling lane can be altered. In particular, a bowling ball can be given what is known as positive side weight, that is that side of the bowling ball which initially is exposed inwardly of the bowling lane weighs more than the side of the bowling ball which is initially exposed to a gutter of the bowling lane. For example, the left side of a bowling ball used by righthanded individuals would weigh more than the right side of the ball when looking at the bowling ball when it is released by the bowler from the vantage point of the bowler.
When a bowling ball has positive side weight, the tendency of the ball as it progresses down the lane is to hook or bend toward the center of the bowling pin arrangement slower than a bowling ball with neutral side weight, but will finish or curve inwardly to the center more rapidly as it approaches the pins. This is an important aspect for some bowlers who normally throw a weak finishing ball without positive side weight because they have a tendency to leave standing the pin which is situated in the middle of the bowling pin pattern, the five pin. Further, negative side weight can be affixed to the bowling ball which would mean that the side of the bowling ball initially adjacent the gutter would weigh more than the side of the bowling ball initially adjacent the inner portion of the lane. Bowlers who have a tendency to curve or hook a ball too much would use a negative side weight distribution to retard the curving of the bowling ball as it approaches the pins.
Prior art weighing scales have been used to selectively provide the desired weight imbalance between the associated sides of a bowling ball but have been extremely difficult and time consuming to use in that regard.